Willington Woods

 

The signpost points to Red Lane and as I approached it

a comma butterfly settled down in from of me opening and closing its wings before flying off

I walked into the woods on its broad path lined with ivy clad trees. The birds were singing and bees buzzing

spring is on the move

and 

some take the high road

some the low.  Turkeytail fungi forming a beautiful pattern while getting down to its true purpose, decomposing fallen trees. No need to hurry all things pass slowly here.

Back to open blue skies and another beautiful spring day.  I did think of calling in for an ice cream on the coast road but Roy's Ices had an enormously long queue of folk spending a leisurely day on the shores of Morecambe Bay.  Well at least no decision had to be made of what flavour to choose. 

Small Stone Circles

Off the beaten track lies this stone circle in the Duddon Valley.  I think this one is technically, or should I say archaeologically,  a ring cairn which also serve a ceremonial purpose and  were constructed in the Bronze Age between about 2000 and 1000BC. This is its most simple form.  Their location in the landscape is important and I would think the its position in relation to the hill is significant.  There are records of about 118 sites within the Lake District National Park which fall into two groups those on the lower fells and ones like this one much higher up and more isolated. What they all have in common is that they are positioned so there are spectacular landscape views from the site but the circles themselves are not easy to see from a distance.

especially when the bracken is all around.

or when you are sitting in the sun and try to record some skylarks only they stop singing. 

 Walking on this path with views over the estuary one would never guess there was a small but perfectly formed stone circle nearby.  Put on that Superman uniform fly over the estuary into the distance and land on

a larger stone circle made of limestone and known locally the Druid's Circle. Unusual because it is concentric and consists of this  inner circle of 12 stones and a wider outer circle of 20 which are hidden in the bracken  (one or two barley visible in this photo).   There are only 30 concentric stone circles in the whole of Britain, the most famous of which is Stonehenge. The 'Druid's Circle' was excavated in 1911 and 1921 and proved that the circles enclosed a paved area covering burials dated by the type of urn found as the late Bronze Age.  Generally archaeologists suggest that burial is not the primary function and when it does take place it was after the stone circle had been in use for some time.

Water is often associated with stone circles, it is known to have strong ritual or ceremonial significance and here on Birkrigg Common the stones are set overlooking Morecambe Bay. Ideal for looking at spectacular sunsets.  Just below is the village of Bardsea and the church steeple.

An entry to ABC Wednesday. A journey through the alphabet which has reached the letter S.

Where the Woodbine Twines

I often see these little vans out and about from Woodbine Dairies, delivering their products. Its a pretty W on the side. This one is parked outside the Braddylls Arms which invites, on the wall:

 

An entry to Signs, Signs

On the Beach

Sea, beach and land merge under a blanket of snow. Dusk at Bardsea on the shores of Morecambe Bay.